L'ÉTOILE BELGE - Denis MADOUX - Alfred MADOUX - Amedée LYNEN - Albert GIRAUD :
Reference : 32557
"19. (Bruxelles), 1900, thick (10 cm) in-folio, 34 x 26 cm, album containing as frontispiece an original design in ink by Amedée Lynen + a holograph poem by Albert Giraud ( dedication) + 25 original photograph portraits, each separately mounted on thick board. Binding ; Bound in full brown morocco, front cover blindtooled, with gilt and leather inlaid decoration, with the initials A.M. and the date 1850 - 1900. The blindtooled frame in art nouveau style. Paste down and fly-leaves in matching watery silk, paste down within a leather frame with gilt and inlaid floral decoration in art nouveau style. Smooth spine without decoration, All edges gilt. Binding in fine condition although one upper corner is slightly bumped and scratched. (binding signed P. Claessens fils). Unique and remarkable gift album presented to the director Madoux of the Belgian newspaper l'Étoile Belge at its fiftieth anniversary. L'Étoile Belge existed until 1940 and was in the 19th century a leading newspaper with strong liberal tendencies. The poet Albert Giraud (1860 -1929) was one of the founding members of ''La Jeune Belgique'' . Arnold Schönberg used a German translation of his ''Pierrot Lunaire'' for one his compositions. Giraud was the literary critic for the journal. His photographic portrait is also among the 25 of the album. The other photographs are portraits of leading journalists and employees of the journal, some are identified with a pencil written caption on the mount, others remain to be identified."